Through the Looking Mask
by yllimilly
Summary: A oneshot retake on the portable link trailer scene, where Naytiri finds and rescues Jake in his human form, and their ensuing thoughts on themselves and each other. Character insight ficlet.


It is him, without a doubt.

Her Jake.

Nestled in her arms, holding onto the mask leading to the cocktail of air that will save him, his legs unusually limp, laid out in queer angles. She feels the urge to hold the creature even tighter, but she does not. Part of her is enthralled by the possibility of having saved her mate's life, but part of her is wary of manipulating this frail body she cannot bond with.

The Jakesully she is holding feels overwhelmingly light, even more so than she could have imagined. His soft skin is the colour of bright stars and fruits and flowers, shades shifting in patterns under the pressure of her fingers. A living canvas. She handles him like she would a newborn, ever so carefully. She, the heiress of her clan, strong and fast and wise, is taken aback by this discovery.

It hits her hard. Rider of Dark Shadow, the man she is mated with for life, really _is_ a Dreamwalker. More importantly, he knows of her than she will ever know of him.

She leans forward to take a closer peek at the other Jake under the mask. An opaque, white veil appears from under the surface, enshrouding his face. Her sensitive hands feel his lungs taking air in and out, her ears tune in to the sound of his breathing under the inorganic contraption. The small body awakens, and within it, Jake's soul.

As quickly as it appeared, the fog swiftly retreats from the window over his eyes to reveal his amusing little nose, his rosy cheeks. His gaze on her is wrapping her up intensely like it did at the Tree of Souls. And just like when Jake was marvelling at the Tree of Souls for the first time, a newfound sense of wonder arises in Neytiri as she witnesses the thin, pink lips contract, the lump on his throat motion up and down from under his skin, his tongue stretching and curling to bring life to these words:

"I See You."

This warm, treasurable creature she cradles against her chest _is_ the pure but ignorant child she met, trained, saw blossom, came to love. It is to her as wonderful as the egg, the larvae, the caterpillar that will shapeshift into another, equally beautiful, yet identical entity.

Their eyes connect, and Neytiri marvels at the imperfection and the complexity that is life, even when it is brought to her from a distance she cannot fathom. She thanks Eywa for having blessed her with this encounter, for the gift of the Unknown that she had initially feared, but fortuitously embraced. Through her love for Jakesully, she has also found a new confidence within herself, and an even greater love and compassion for everything that is. She Sees him, and for the first time, she Sees herself, too. An irresistible desire to smile overpowers her.

.

It is _her_. She managed to find him in the trailer, she had recognized him instantly in his "human Avatar", and she had proved by her actions that she was not repulsed nor afraid to touch him in his alien form. Jake can feel the warmth and the strength of his mate, overshadowing the dullness of the portable link trailer around them, and even the grief outside of it.

"I See You."

Jake's five fingers have already made their way to her, moving up to her wrists, her arms, looking for a confirmation he is not having the first real dream he ever had in what seems like ages. This is Neytiri, safe and sound.

He is afflicted by the numb roughness of her skin under his imperfect human fingers; in what he considers his _real body_, he was able to acutely flesh out and cherish every hair or bump on his lover, subtle changes in temperature, and even the _sweetness_ of her skin through his the responsive pores of his own.

Now that he is wide awake, back in his human form, Jake feels he has lost more than just his once heightened sense of touch. Through his Na'vi eyes, Jake seized colours whose impossible depictions made him struggle in his video logs. He wouldn't simply take in the stimuli with his ears, mouth, eyes to his brain. Rather, he lived every sound and word and smell and taste throughout his entire body.

It was as though he became blind, deaf and mute. His definition of hanndicap had already been brought to a whole new dimension quite a long time ago. If he could See Neytiri now, it was solely thanks to their mutual trust and to the memories he has of knowing her as an Avatar. The prospect of spending a life in this impoverished vessel caused his heart to thump loudly. Hometree landing on his chest couldn't have felt heavier than this dreadful vision.

Back in his human self, deprived of his senses, Jake felt more than ever that the Avatar was his real body. If it comes to be fatally wounded, a part of the Neytiri he has come to deeply love knew will inevitably depart with it.

For a second that lasts so much longer to them, they avidly devour each other with their eyes, grateful the other is alive. Neytiri gently breaks the ice by spreading her fingers over Jake's face, as if she would squeeze his head gently, but without touching it.

"Rider of Dark Shadow has a head small like fruit of the _tsatxi'ht_ tree."

She then strokes his cheek from the back of her callused finger, letting out a clear laugh which throws him in a rumbling trance. Really, at this crucial moment, the last thing he expected was a display of Neytiri's newfound sense of humour. Relieved, he puts on his winsome smile and returns the favour with an innocent liking of her hands to the wingspan of the Ikran, drawing more of that delightful laughter from his lover.

They are thankful to be together again. Thankful that they can see through each other even better than they did before, and proud of the unique connection they achieved, transcending the cultural and the physical. Neytiri leaps out of the lab, carrying Jake along, their hearts filled with fear, but also hope for them and for the people.

.

Fin


End file.
